Challenges & ObjectivesWe are a global Association, comprised of the leading companies in our industry. As our industry evolved we realized that our Association was evolving too--but not necessarily in a way that was in the best interests of our represented stakeholders. Consequently we needed to re-asses our Mission and Organization structure. This review, analysis and suggestions for change was stimulated by the afore-mentioned situation (rapid industry growth, changes in regulatory climate, and mergers & acquisitions within the industry) and the restructuring of our Executive Board. In addition, some of our members were leaving the Association, while others were telling us that we were not doing enough for them.

The Work we did
The firm we hired worked closely with us to design a comprehensive review of our organization, with emphasis on our structure. In addition they examined roles and responsibilities--both within the Association and between the Association and our constituents. Over the course of three months they collected and organized the data and information and reviewed the progress with the Steering Committee. Their "research" approach involved a variety of small creative problem solving sessions with single organizations, government and regulatory agencies and end users. They also conducted extensive personal interviews and telephone surveys.

Results
They used the knowledge gained from the research, our ideas and their expertise to develop a comprehensive recommendation with back-up information and rationale. Through an interactive and collaborative process a "review and recommendation" meeting with the whole Board resulted in new and fresh insights for us. More importantly we were able to restructure globally and regionally resulting in improved focus and efficiency, reduced costs and an increase in our membership. And most importantly, our Members were able to get closer to their customers, listen in new and different ways to customer needs and be more responsive to them.